Hundreds of Yemeni people came to a public square to celebrate the second heritage festival in the southern city of Aden on Thursday.
The festival was held for the second year under the auspices of the Culture Ministry and the cultural organizations representing the different provinces of the war-torn Arab country.
Sarah Rasheed, head of the media committee of the festival, told Xinhua that teams from different provinces, including those controlled by the Shiite Houthi group, participated in this year's festival.
"We try to keep our country unified in culture because politics has divided our regions and created hatred among the citizens. We want peace," Sarah said.
View of Crater Quarter from Sira Island, Aden, Yemen /VCG Photo
Teams from several areas exhibited traditional clothing and performances during the festival.
Aden, where Yemen's government in exile is temporarily based, has been suffering from a lack of basic services, leading to public anger against the local authorities which have suspended most cultural activities since 2015.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country and seized all the northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia leads an Arab coalition that has intervened in the Yemeni war in March 2015 to help the government to defeat the Houthi rebels.
The military conflict between the Houthi rebels and the government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition is regarded as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.